1. Field of Invention
This invention relates generally to cosmetic pencils, and more particularly to a protective cap and mirror unit for a cosmetic pencil which makes it possible for a user to see her face at close range as she defines her lips or eyes with the pencil.
2. Status of Prior Art
A conventional pencil for writing or drawing consists of a cylinder of wood encasing a thin rod of graphite or colored wax. A cosmetic pencil, which is used by a woman to outline her lips or eyes, is similar to a conventional pencil except that its central rod is thicker and is formed of a soft cosmetic substance whose composition and color are appropriate to the intended use of the pencil.
Both a conventional pencil and a cosmetic pencil require sharpening to bring the conical tip of the pencil to a point, and to renew this point when blunted by use. A cosmetic pencil is normally provided with a removable protective cap covering the tip end of the pencil.
A woman away from home usually takes along one or more cosmetic pencils, a pencil sharpener and a small mirror, putting these items in her purse or in a vanity case. When the woman has occasion to use a cosmetic pencil, as for example in the restroom of a restaurant, she is then able to observe her face in the small mirror as she draws cosmetic lines outlining her eyes or lips.
The reason it is difficult for the women to use the large mirror normally found in a restaurant restroom is that she cannot in a large mirror installed behind a sink or counter observe her face at close range so as to be able to clearly see the lines being drawn by the cosmetic pencil. For this purpose a small hand-held mirror is more suitable, for a woman grasping this small mirror in one hand close to her face can with her other hand holding the cosmetic pencil accurately draw the cosmetic lines to define her eyes or lips.
The cosmetic rod of a cosmetic pencil is relatively soft and after to use to define the eyes or lips, the pencil must these be resharpened. For this purpose small cosmetic pencil sharpeners are available are similar to a writing pencil sharpener and include an angled blade to engage the tip of the pencil.
Of prior art interest is the 1998 patent to Conley Jr. U.S. Pat. No. 5,715,848 which discloses a cosmetic system provided with a small mirror integrated with a cylindrical housing which accommodates lip and eye cosmetic pencils as well as a lipstick. The housing also incorporates in its structure a pencil sharpener. But the Conley Jr. system does not provide a protective cap for cosmetic pencils, for these pencils are fully inserted within the cylindrical housing.
A conventional protective cap for a cosmetic pencil is often misplaced, for when a woman withdraws this cap from the pencil in order to put the pencil to use, the cap is then laid down on a table or other available surface. When the woman later wishes to recap the cosmetic pencil, she may not remember where she laid the cap down, and be unable to recover it.